Mississippi Man Dies after Crash with Drunk Driver

Mississippi Highway Patrol has announced that a 91-year-old man from Natchez, Mississippi, died last month in a terrible car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver. Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Rusty Boyd said that John H. Buckles died after his truck was hit from behind on U.S. 84 and then rolled into a ditch.

Police say that the accident happened at 7:23 p.m. near the Adams County Correctional Center. Mr. Buckles was driving westbound in the far right lane when another truck driven by 30-year-old Cameron Collier smashed directly into the back of Buckle’s pickup.

Officers say the force of the accident was so great that Buckle’s truck was thrown off the roadway. Once the truck left the road it rolled several times before coming to a rest at the bottom of a ditch, upside down. Emergency responders called for an airlift for Buckles who was taken to the Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana but sadly died along the way.

Police say Collier was unhurt in the accident, though a passenger was injured and had to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. Officers at the time suspected that alcohol was involved in the crash and a later blood test confirmed Collier was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Collier has since been charged with driving under the influence and is awaiting criminal prosecution.

It’s devastating when someone dies due to the carelessness or irresponsibility of another person. Losing a loved one is always hard, but especially when that person’s death was entirely preventable. In Mississippi, if a family member dies because of the negligence of another person, that person’s loved ones are able to bring a civil lawsuit to recover monetary damages for the death of their family member.

Mississippi Code Annotated Section 11-7-13 deals with wrongful death claims and makes clear that family members are allowed to bring a suit for financial compensation against negligent parties. Mississippi law says such suits exist so that family members are able to recover damages that “the jury may determine to be just.” This means things such as medical expenses, hospital bills, pain and suffering, funeral expenses, lost earnings, lost future earnings, loss due to companionship and even punitive damages can be collected from the responsible party.

The caring attorneys at The Stroud Law Firm have years of experience and have successfully obtained compensation for our clients in similar tragic accidents. If you lost a loved one and have questions about how to move forward, call us toll-free today at 833-536-5656 for a free consultation.